Thoroughbreds Finding Defensive Chemistry

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On the weekend of January 24, Skidmore men’s basketball dropped back-to-back road games at Hobart College and RIT, dropping the Thoroughbreds’ record to 9-7. Head coach Joe Burke had the team over for dinner at his house. “We came together as a group,” Burke said. “We looked each other in the eye and figured it out. We knew how talented we could be.” The emphasis of their conversations was strictly on the defensive end, specifically how hard everyone had to work, while also understanding the technical aspect of their defense—knowing what everybody is responsible for. “From a technical standpoint, we’re getting better,” Burke said. “I think our energy is very good and I never doubt how hard the guys play. I think we’ve played hard all year, but I think we’re getting smarter and more technical with how we’re doing it. You have to be technical and understand what everyone is doing on the floor. I think we’re starting to understand, as a unit, how we’re supposed to operate.” Between the team dinner and the following matchup against St. Lawrence, the team had “unbelievable practices” as “things started clicking.” Including the 69-66 home win over St. Lawrence, the Thoroughbreds are riding a four game winning streak into this weekend. In the last three games, Skidmore has held opponents to 49 points or less. “We have a lot of talented players and a couple of these guys had a lot of experience as freshman, so I treat them like they’re juniors and seniors just because of their playing experience,” said Burke, who expects his young team to be even more successful in years to come. “There’s certain things that they still don’t get and I think that it’s taken us a little bit of time to really, really hammer home the importance of how good we can be defensively. We’ve taken steps in the right direction, but really never got to the point where I was satisfied. These guys, the light is starting to go on and they’re realizing we can be really good if we guard on the floor because we’re very explosive offensively.” Burke’s established system at Skidmore is backed up by two Liberty League titles in his first two years as head coach in 2011 and 2012. That system is backed up by defense and sharing the ball. “It’s how we play,” Burke said. “If you look historically in what we’ve done here in this program in my four years, it has been that way for all four. I still think the most important thing you can do in basketball is share the ball.” As far as Burke is concerned, the more weapons he has in his arsenal to create balance, the more his team should share the ball and be that much harder to guard. Five Thoroughbreds are currently averaging double digit scoring. Sophomore Erik “Flip” Sanders is leading the way with 16 points a game to go along with a team-high 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest. “Flip is a really nice addition for us,” Burke said. “He’s still figuring out how we play. He’s getting in the mix with guys that have been here longer than him, so he’s still blending in, especially on the defensive end. But I think, offensively, his talent and ability to get to the rim and finish above the rim, it’s hard for people to cover. He takes good shots, to his credit. He knows his strengths. It’s attacking the rim when he has the opportunity and shooting the open three and that’s what he works at.” Premier Liberty League point guard Aldin Medunjanin is averaging 14.9 points per game, while Tanner Brooks (12.8 PPG), Conner Merril (12.2 PPG) and Perun Kovacevic (11.6 PPG) round out the double-figure scorers. Except for Merril, who was Burke’s first recruit at Skidmore, and Kovacevic, the other three starters are all sophomores. Merril and Kovacevic are juniors. “We have guys on every spot on the floor who can score,” Burke said. “Our job is to find out who has the hot hand and how we’re scoring specifically that night—understanding that we can always go somewhere else if we need it.” Bringing back all that talent in the starting five next year goes along with Burke’s high-aiming goals, which include an NCAA Division III National Championship. “When I recruited every one of these guys, the goal was to win a national championship,” Burke said. “We’ve won league championships around here; we’ve been to the NCAA tournament. I think we have structure and the program to win large and what I mean by that is to win a national championship. That’s our ultimate goal. Will we get there or not this year? I don’t know. Do I think we’re capable? Absolutely. We’re in this thing to win big. We just know what we’re striving for.” Helping Burke’s high expectations is his bench. “The thing that may not be seen the most is the energy and enthusiasm we get from our bench,” Burke said. “We don’t need scoring from them. When you have five guys who start the game and are all capable of scoring, you don’t need that from the bench. What you need from your bench is energy, knowing what your concepts are and how you go about your business. I think our bench has been great. I’ve called on different guys every night and, in some capacity, somebody new has stepped up and made some big plays defensively and maybe a key bucket here and there. Our bench is very underrated. They’re an intelligent group and they bring unbelievable energy.” As Burke and the Thoroughbreds look to continue playing their best basketball in February, they embark on four straight road games. Road-tripping to Canton to play St. Lawrence February 11, they remain on the road the ensuing weekend against Vassar and Bard College, before a final road game at Union. “These guys haven’t been fazed by whether we’re playing at home or on the road,” Burke said. “I think it’s more about them. We made the season more about us because we know we have to ability to go on the road and win. We just have to be dialed in on what we’re doing. I feel like, if we execute, we’re capable of playing, if not beating, anybody in the country.” After the road games, Skidmore will host RIT at the Williamson Sports Center, February 22 to end the regular season.